Victim Of Sargasso Sea

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30058, 16 February 1963, Page 11

Victim Of Sargasso Sea

(N Z P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) MIAMI, Feb. 15. The Sargasso Sea, dubbed “the sea of missing persons,” has claimed another victim with the disappearance of the 7240ton United States tanker. Marine Sulphur Queen, with 39 persons aboard.

The ship waa last heard of two weeks ago when a member of the crew sent a personal message *o his family over the ship’s radio on the night of February 1 The tanker, which had sailed the day before with a cargo of molten sulphur from Beaumont. Texas. for a five-day trip to Norfolk, Virginia, was then just west of Key West. Florida heading

through the Straits ot Florida into the Atlantic. That part of the Atlantic Ocean lying off the Florida peninsula and the Bahamas is the Sargasso Sea, a great area of slow currents and colourful floating seaweed that held a particular dread for the sailors of old

They believed the thick seaweed would stop and choke any ship that tried to sail through the sea The deceptively peaceful area has swallowed without trace a number of ships in spite of all modern electronic aids

For 10 days, 63 aircraft scanned far and wide over the area looking for the 524 ft sulphur-laden coaster, without success. In vain Coa-t Guard and other vessels tn the sea ranged about looking for her.

A sudden, squally. Atlantic storm sparked hopes she might have had to seek refuge in a Cuban port but though the Cuban Government promised to send word through Swiss diplomatic channels if

she turned up, word never came.

Finally, last Wednesday night, after search aircraft had flown more than 500 fruitless hours, the Coast Guard called off the official search

All craft in the area were still asked to keep “a sharp look-out,” just in case, but hope had virtually died. Old-timers recalled the World War 1 naval collier. Cyclops, which disappeared without trace in the Sargasso Sea on its way north from Brazil And the advent of the air age has not reduced the sea's mysteries. One of the most spectacular was on December 5, 1945. when a squadron of five torpedo aircraft took off from Fort Lauderdale. Florida, naval air station on a training mission—and never came back

The next day a huge patrol aircraft with 13 aboard took off to search for the five missing planes It too, vanished without trace, and 27 names were added to the list of "missing at sea.”